Overview

• The California Judiciary is primarily a state funded system.  Its appropriation was reduced from $3,900,000,000 in FY11 to $3,600,000,000 in FY12.  They will need to reduce the number of judges, reduce the number of staff positions and reduce the amount spent on operating costs.
• The California judicial branch budget was reduced by over $300 million for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2011. An additional $310 million was swept by the state from courthouse construction funds, thereby delaying some critically needed court construction projects. The Judicial Council will be considering proposals to utilize some one-time offsets to manage the funding reduction to the branch for the current year, and to make the following budget cuts: a 9.7 percent decrease of the adjusted annual operations budget for the Supreme Court and Courts of Appeal, a 6.8 percent decrease for the trial courts, and a 12 percent decrease for the AOC and the Habeas Corpus Resource Center. The Council will consider a proposal to increase these reductions next year to 15.2 percent for all entities. One of the offsets include a one year suspension of deployment activities for the California Court Case Management System, a new statewide case management system designed to replace over 70 outdated and incompatible systems currently in use.
• To reduce spending, the courts have reduced hours of operation, imposed staff layoffs, and delayed filling vacancies in the clerks’ offices and in judicial support positions.  They anticipate reducing court clerk office hours and reducing the number of civil courtrooms open.  Some Branch locations will be closed.  Some mediation services will be impacted and other impacts are expected.
• Technology initiatives include e-filing, and electronic document management system, e-citations, e-payment of fees and fines and conducting some hearings with the use of videoconferencing equipment.  Plans are in place to develop and implement a new case management system, but it is expected that implementation will be put on hold due to the budget reduction.

Reports and Articles

• Press Release. "Putting Legislature over Courts is a Bad Idea." Visalia Times Delta. January 31, 2012.
• Richard K. DeAtley. "Inland Courts Brace for Tougher Year." The Press-Enterprise.com. January 29, 2012.
• Larry Gerston. "Courts as State Budget Spoiler." NBC Bay Area. January 29, 2012
• Administrator. "The Impact of Court Budget Cuts on California Citizens." San Luis Obispo County Bar Association. January 23, 2012.
• Ari Burack. "San Francisco's Superior Court Cuts 67 Workers, Services." The Examiner. October 3, 2011
• Marga Cooley. "Court Cuts Hit SLO County." Santa Maria Times. September 28, 2011
• Lynn Holton. "Chief Justice Urges Bench/Bar Leaders To Work Together to Restore Judicial Branch Budget." California Courts. September 20, 2011
• Paul Rosynsky. "Alameda County Budget Cuts Impacting Courts." The Oakland Tribune. September 17, 2011
• Elizabeth Larson. "Lake County Superior Court Faces Deep Budget Cuts; Judges' Associations Discuss State Budget Actions." Lake County News. September 12, 2011
• Jesse McKinley. "As Budgets Continue to Shrink, the Lines Will Grow in California Civil Courts." The New York Times. August 23, 2011
• David Ferry. "California Courts Face Cash Crunch." The Wall Street Journal. August 20, 2011
• "Short End of the Gavel." The Record. August 1, 2011
• Press Release. "The San Francisco Superior Court Notifies the AOC of Reduced Clerks’ Office Hours, Closure of 25 Courtrooms Effective October 3, 2011." August 3, 2011
• Paul Elias. "San Francisco to Shutter Courtrooms, Lay Off 200." Huffington Post. July 18, 2011.
• Lynn Holton. "Chief Justice Cantil-Sakauye Calls New Judicial Branch Budget Reduction ‘Devastating’ to Public." Administrative Office of the Courts. June 15, 2011.
• S. Abramsky. "May It Please the Court." American Prospect. December 6, 2010.
• Bob Egelko.  "Superior Court to Cut Hours of Clerk's Offices" San Francisco Chronicle. December 8, 2010.
• Maura Dolan.  "State High Court Upholds Dismissal of 18 Criminal Cases in Riverside County Because of Judges Shortage [Updated]" Los Angeles Times. October 25, 2010.
• Bob Egelko.  "State High Court Upholds Worker Furloughs." San Francisco Chronicle. October 5, 2010.
• Shane Goldmacher. "Furloughs for California State Employees to Resume."  LA Times. August 19, 2010.
• Kenneth Ofgang. "McCoy: No More Staff Furloughs After Next Week."  Metropolitan News-Enterprise. July 14, 2010.
• Veronica Rocha.  "Budget Cuts Delay Ruling."  La Cañada Valley Sun. April 22, 2010.
• "McCoy Makes New Pitch to AOC for Funds to Avert 500 Court Layoffs."  Metropolitan News-Enterprise. April 5, 2010.
• Troy Anderson.  "Layoffs, Closures for Court System."  March 16, 2010.  
• Debra Cassens Weiss.  "LA Presiding Judge Warns Law Firms of Economic Hit from Court Budget Cuts."  ABA Journal. January 11, 2010.  

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